A woman from Worthing has shared the “super easy” way she managed to make £250 to put towards Christmas presents this year.
Jen Palmer, 37, a mum of “two expensive teenage boys” has been selling unwanted clothes and tech items from her home to make a bit of cash this winter.
Ms Palmer is urging people to check what they have. She told Express.co.uk: “I never would have known that we were sitting on hundreds of pounds of unwanted items and tech that we could sell.”
Inspired by her sister, who was using Vinted to sell second-hand tableware and dresses and an old phone “that did really well”, Ms Palmer realised the wealth of products people were willing to buy online.
She said: “It was easy for me to choose which items to sell. I started off with some brand-new clothes that I hadn’t taken back to the shop. Those items went so quickly, I started looking at other things, like books and old tech.
“We had loads of bits lying around the house that we weren’t using and didn’t know what to do with them. When I realised we could sell them and make money, it was a no-brainer.”
Despite initially fearing the process would be “quite complicated”, Ms Palmer said she found it “super easy.”
She said: “When I actually started selling, I realised how quick and easy it was. I’ve discovered that the secret to selling quickly on second-hand marketplaces is providing clear descriptions, reducing the potential for lots of questions and back and forth.”
Ms Palmer added: “It’s my eldest son’s sixteenth birthday at the beginning of December and then obviously we have Christmas. As a single parent, the extra income means that I can get my kids – two expensive teenage boys – the things they ask for.”
Ms Palmer used O2 Recycle to sell an old Fitbit, Nintendo Switch and tablet. She urged: “Look at what you’ve got. With O2 Recycle, even if you just have an old smartphone and laptop lying around, it could be worth over £340.
“For any new products or items you might want to sell later on, keep boxes and original packaging. It may take up a little bit of space, but having the packaging makes it even easier and quicker to sell online.”
New research from Virgin Media O2 found seven in 10 Britons are worried about affording the cost of Christmas, while 68 percent say they are desperate to make extra cash to afford gifts, days out and decorations.
O2 Recycle service enables anyone, regardless of their mobile operator, to trade in their devices in return for cash.
People can send their unwanted tech to O2 Recycle with free postage where it will be repaired, refurbished resold, or recycled. The initiative accepts smartphones, tablets, wearables, earphones, MacBooks and consoles.
Since its launch in 2009, O2 Recycle has recycled almost four million devices and paid out £347million to consumers. Last year the initiative processed almost 180,000 devices which were saved from landfills by being resold as refurbished devices to customers or recycled.
With the average UK home having four unused devices, Virgin Media O2 said people could cash in with their old tech and make around £446 in time for Christmas.
On average, O2 Recycle pays out:
- £80.16 for consoles
- £53.52 for earbuds
- £205.17 for laptops or MacBooks
- £136.46 for smartphones
- £144.52 for tablets
- £81.36 for wearables/smartwatches.
Nicola Green from Virgin Media O2 commented: “Brits are sitting on a treasure trove of unused tech worth almost £450 which could earn them much-needed extra cash in time for Christmas while also reducing e-waste.
“With our O2 Recycle service, anyone can send in their unwanted devices – from phones to laptops and consoles – and boost their festive finances. Meanwhile, their old tech can be given a second life or recycled – with zero parts going to landfill.”
As well as selling on second-hand marketplaces and services like O2 Recycle, Ms Palmer added: “I’d recommend buying from these sites as well – especially for parents wanting to save money. You can get some great deals.
“I recently bought my youngest a pair of new Air Force Ones for his birthday for less than £50 including delivery. He had no idea they weren’t ‘new’, and I saved £60.”
